Konta wins to reach first Nottingham Open final

British No. 1 Johanna Konta is headed to the Nottingham Open semi-finals after defeating Australia's Ashleigh Barty in straight-sets.

It is the first time the 26-year-old has reached the last four of the tournament in Nottingham.

Unseeded Vikhlyantseva, who had lost her previous six matches before this tournament, broke Konjuh in the fourth game of the opening set and hit back from 4-5 down in the second to win the last three games.

It was the first time Barty had played Konta, who moved closer to a first WTA title on home soil.

She will continue to sharpen her game with a Saturday semi-final in Nottingham against either Magdalena Rybarikova or qualifier Kristie Ahn.

"It feels pretty good and I'm really happy to have made it to the end of the week", she told Eurosport after the match. 'I am enjoying playing each match, I am getting much surer of my footing on the grass.

Ronaldo thinking only of Confederations Cup, says SilvaDefender Miguel Layun and midfielder Hector Herrera play for FC Porto, while forward Raul Jimenez plays for Benfica. That friendly came after the Socceroos only just scraped past Saudi Arabia 3-2 in a World Cup qualifier.

Further quotes and video footage from Konta's post-match press conference to follow after her doubles match.

"She is a talented and effective player, especially on this surface", Konta added.

Before that, though, she returns to doubles action, teaming up with Yanina Wickmayer, the opponent she beat in the singles on Thursday.

Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia and fifth-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic also reached the quarterfinals.

Having reached the top six in the world rankings last month, she is also optimistic about an improved performance at Wimbledon where she was knocked out in the third round past year, her best performance in the tournament.

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